US Navy delays selection of new jet training aircraft

The US Navy has updated the schedule for its Undergraduate Jet Training System, a program designed to select a new training aircraft for carrier pilots. The deadline for responses to the request for proposals has been pushed from September 9 to October 30.

This delay shifts the expected selection of a winner to June 30 of next year, seven years after initial analyses began. Additionally, the Navy increased the price cap for the engineering development and production phase from $1.8 billion to $2.7 billion after manufacturers indicated the original figure was unrealistic.

The competition has narrowed to two remaining contenders following the withdrawals of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The current candidates are the M-346N, proposed by a Beechcraft/Leonardo consortium, and the Freedom aircraft, proposed by Sierra Nevada Corporation in partnership with Northrop Grumman and General Atomics.